Stand Alone Complex
by Harbinger Loki
Summary: Alnel. Right before the fight with Luther, Albel asks Nel what she is going to win for because for our certain redheaded lady, he wants her to know his reason for winning.


Stand Alone Complex

Albel x Nel

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean.

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She knew it could take everything they had this time like so many other times. She knew that she did want to conquer this enemy. She knew it because her existence depended on them winning.

She knew they had to win.

But what was she trying to win for?

Her kingdom was in a time of peace, a truce between friends and enemies, but it was an easily eruptible peace especially with the shadiness of Airyglyph sometimes or even that of Suferio or Greeton or Peterny.

Claire was happy and had everything she wanted on her plate.

The Queen didn't have any real need of her if she thought about it. The only thing that Nel would need to do was spy for factions against the queen and report traitors at balls that she went to, but she never went to balls. She could care less.

Elicoor didn't matter to her. Her job was done there. She had no reason to really go back, nothing waited for her. It was nothing but another thing of dust as she found out through the archives of the Diplo when she went on them.

It wasn't as if she had anything back on Elicoor anyway. She had a job, yes, but it wasn't going to be worthwhile until there was a war. She had a house, which she didn't live in. She had people to hang around with but it was little compared to what she was witnessing.

She had no one to save or go back for. Sure, there was the Queen, Romeria, but Claire could do Nel's job twice as well and meticulious. Nel was a dispensable member of the court, easy to replace, easy to keep, and easy to send away into a political marriage.

In all reality that was all that was left to Nel if she did win. The Queen of Aquaria had already talked about negotiations through messengers with Airygylph for finding her a worthy husband that would further the truce between the two countries.

She didn't know who it was going to be, that was what the Queen was last talking about to the King Arzei. Nel honestly didn't want to find out she was married to someone like Count Noppen or another pompous bastard like him or even worse, Cornelius.

Don't get her wrong, she loved the inventors they kept in the guild but the few percent from Airyglyph caused her to question whether or not there was something poisonous in the water or the snow sometimes. Maybe every Airyglyphian child got dropped on the head a few dozen times to get the demons out of them.

Though there was one man she knew that could get a few dozen more of those drops.

Gods above, she hoped that the Queen would have a good sense to not arrange a marriage to ALBEL.

So back to the topic at hand, she decided.

She was winning for the simple fact that she wanted to exist though she did not know what she wanted to exist for.

Her questioner smiled, staring at her in that creepy peering over his nose way that caused her to blink as if she missed some hilarious, by his standards, joke.

It was simply ironic that she asked the same thing back.

He spent a couple of minutes in pensive contemplation, then grinned. It was nothing more than a simple "I-know-it-all" grin, letting her feel like such an imposed figure in a conversation that the bastard had started.

"My reason for this fight is you." She had stared at him for a second before realizing what he was saying exactly. She wanted to place a hand on his brow to make sure he wasn't sick or anything even if there was a faint tinge of pink dusted across those fine Airyglyphian cheek bones.

"Me?" Her voice resisted that tremor that wanted to come out. She never thought that this man would want to fight for her. Hell, no man even considered her to be a worthy bride most of the time, a nice bedding but never a wife. She wasn't demure, nor exactly all too pretty like Claire, just black widow sexy.

"Yes. I don't stutter, Nel." He somewhat glared to only leave her more questions she supposed but that direct malicious sarcasm drew a line deep into that made her slightly ruffled with aggravation. Albel could bring out the worst in her.

"Why?" She was curious and sometimes she just wished she could leave well enough alone but she wanted to know deeply. Why was he deciding to win this for her? What was she worth to him?

"I have a complex." He spoke in a deliberate voice as if he was parroting the words from some one who actually said those words, like Fayt, the ever-ingenious dictionary for the Elicoorians. His mouth seemed to fall away at the extremem use of letters that were never really used on Elicoor much like promiscuity or dermatology. Fayt had talked like that when she first met him and sometimes it would give her a headache as she stared at him. Then there was the secret UP3 crap that Fayt would spout off like no tomorrow before he would get shushed by Cliff or someone else from his world like Maria.

"A complex?" Her mouth swallowed the words as well, sounding it out in her mind before she said it. Albel looked at her with a sense of triumph of having said the word first and far better than she ever could. Now she was wishing that she had a chopstick from Greeton to stick up his nose. That would be amusing to see, she decided, chiding herself for her lapse of focus.

"Isn't that what that naïve maggot says about my mind to you?" He knew that the Leingod childe spoke often to the woman standing in front of him about his mental state often. She had to keep tabs on him which he barely minded if it weren't for the fact that it was Leingod for Apris's sake.

"Not really?" She shrugged to show her questioning glance. Okay, so she lied, but she knew that she was good at it and no one ever knew when she told the truth most of the time. Well, Albel knew but she didn't care. He only smirked at her foolishness knowing that he might as well explain to her as he would to a two-year-old child for all the maturity she was showing.

"I normally prefer to stand alone." He said it with such a complete confidence as if Nel could understand but by now she was even more confused by his wording. What did that have to do with anything? Of course, he normally stood alone against enemies but what was it? Was he………….dare she even say it?

"You…..You're afraid?" His look was venomous for a few seconds before settling down to a sultry look that cried out that he was indeed a little insulted for the idea to have even passed her train of thought. To him, the woman was inane for the time being.

"Not really. The fight will be exciting and we'll win but I'm going to win this for you." He tried to enunciate his point to only get the blink of bewilderment swept across her face in misunderstanding. The poor girl was being unusually dense today, he decided as he tried calming his temper as it rose.

"Why for me?" The inevitable question once more. His cheeks were tinged pink with both anger and frustration and a sense of love as he watched her emerald gaze linger upon him with such a wide eyed look. He wanted her to make that look darken for his desire but he could wait.

"I'm getting to be old, Nel. In six years I WILL have to get married for a heir. I'd rather be able to enjoy my youth with someone I can have at my side fighting with me. I'd rather have you beside me than anyone else or is that too much for you to understand?" Spelling it out for, Nel blinked in understanding. His eyes darkened as she raised a hand to her lips as if to hide the fact that she hadn't understood until then. His eyes darkened considerably into the gloom as he added a familiar term so that it would not seem so weird to be talking to her with such reverence. "Maggot."

"You're such a worm, Albel. If you want my hand in marriage then just say so!" Smiling, Nel only shook her head at the familiar phrase that he so often said. She laughed as she pointedly accused him with her finger to try and prove her point. She didn't like having to beat around the bush so much but if it was what was required it was what was needed.

"You've said it yourself, no need to repeat it. So do you now have a reason to win?" He only let his famous wicked grin take over his face before he wrapped an around her should pulling her to his side than his front, his face breathing in her scent willingly.

"Yes." She grinned to herself for she knew what she was going to fight for. She had to win today. All of them had to for their own reasons for living. In only three minutes her entire opinion had changed. Maybe having Albel for a husband would not be so bad after all, he did want her.

"What is it?" He wanted to know if she was going to completely reject him or not. Her face turned upwards towards his, relieving her lips of a small chaste kiss before she answered, a grin that could make his fall away in unworthiness showed upon her visage. He knew that whatever she said, they would still win and still be able to show the worlds beyond that they were alive.

"Someone's stand-alone complex."

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This sucked! I am such a huge fan of Alnel! Go ALNEL! I have almost read all the Alnel fics here. It makes me so sad because my favorites are rarely updated and I just love it so much I hunger for it! SEE ME DROOL!

Lol, anyway, I was staring at the OST of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex when I got an idea to type up a small Alnel fic! I hope you like it and all!

PLEASE REVIEW!


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